It's the Thought That Counts
by beautiful.and.freaky
Summary: On the last day of the year, Ally Dawson finds herself caught in Austin Moon's thoughtful game that was specially made for her.


On the morning of New Year's Eve, Ally Dawson walked into her family's business to see holiday decorations.

There was a gigantic Christmas tree that stood in the middle of the checkout counters. It was decked out in gold tinsel and different shades of blue and green ornaments. A shining star was on top, lighting the place up.

There was fake snow everywhere. It laid on the floor, practically covering up the tiled ground. It was also on the instruments, which was not a pretty sight for the girl.

Two streetlight posts were placed on either side of the bottom of the staircase. They gave a dramatic effect for whoever was going to enter or leave the second floor and also showcased shoe prints on the snow-covered steps that looked to be going up.

Red tinsel wrapped around the black railings on the second floor balcony, curling in all the spaces and leaving no visible sight of metal underneath. She figured that whoever did that must have had such nimble fingers and the patience to do so.

A Christmas wreath hung on the closed door of the girl's practice room with a sign saying "All are welcome." The crook of a candy cane slowly swayed left-and-right while holding onto the golden doorknob.

Startled by the fact that someone sneaked into the store last night after business hours, Ally Dawson widened her eyes. No one was supposed to have any access to this place without having the key. In fact, there was only one key since the Dawsons didn't even bother to replicate the original one. Without it, they had no choice but to pry the doors open if they needed to come inside. And based on the unbroken glass door in the front, whoever did this must have either easily unlocked the door with some small object or had a copy of the original key.

Deciding that it was best to investigate the place first before picking out suspects, the young brunette carefully made her way up the snow-covered staircase, walking stealthily. According to the other prints that were left, the person who invaded was still upstairs in her practice room, and she was determined to find out who was the mastermind. She didn't bother about getting hurt. Besides, the thought of the stranger carrying a gun or knife after the way that person decorated the store seemed crazy.

They say that the best way to strike an opponent is to have a surprise attack. Of course, that was exactly what the girl did as she slowly turned the knob before kicking the door open. Soon enough, a loud thud was heard two seconds later, meaning that the wooden rectangle slammed against a wall. Before the door flipped towards her into a close, the girl stopped it with her right hand.

The first thing she saw was a blond guy falling backwards from her piano bench, screaming, "_Aaargh_!"

She blinked her eyes twice and then shook her head in disbelief after realizing who it was. "Austin, what are you doing here?"

Before answering, the boy propped himself up with the help of his elbows in an attempt to slowly ease the pain. "No, I'm fine, thanks for asking," he snapped at her, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

She chuckled softly, laughing at how sensitive he was when it came to physical pain, before walking over to him to help him up. Eventually, the boy dusted himself off and adjusted his blond hair with a flip of it to a side, a signature move.

"Hi, Ally," he greeted her, talking so sweetly and innocently. He flashed a small wave to the girl as he began to rock back and forth with the help of his heels, laughing nervously.

The girl's playful side faded away the second he spoke again, suddenly remembering the surprise downstairs. "How did you get in?" she interrogated him, raising an eyebrow.

The blond pulled out something from the back of his ripped blue jeans that jingled. It was a key. "Your dad let me copy the key to this store." The girl gave him a weird look, causing him to laugh. "I know, it still surprises me. I mean, I'm not usually known to be a responsible person, but I guess he trusts me."

One question still haunted the brunette's mind. "Okay, well, then explain to me why the heck you decorated the place when Christmas is over."

The boy grinned. "I heard that you were going to be alone for the holidays, so I decided to surprise you. Besides, I personally think it would suck if someone asks you what you did in the final days of the year and you responded that you were alone..." He turned around for a moment and bended forward to grab something. "Here, I even got you a present."

"Austin..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say. She then became shameful and speechless as the boy handed her a perfectly wrapped present, realizing that she didn't even had a gift for him.

He smiled encouragingly at her, gesturing at the closed box. "Go on and open it."

And so, she followed his order. She bit her lower lip as she started to slowly tear the baby blue Christmas wrapping that had music notes and measures scattered all around the unknown present. While throwing scraps onto the floor, the girl guessed it would be some books inside a box since it was decently heavy. Once she had finally tore all of the wrappings, she had a medium-sized cardboard box in her hands.

"Come on, Ally. Are you really this slow?" the boy told her, trying to hurry up the girl's pace.

She rolled her eyes before taking off some sticky tape that held two foldings together. Once that was done, she flipped the foldings open and then pulled the material out. Based on the touch of fabric, the brunette figured it was a shirt or something.

"So, do you like it?" he asked her a little too quickly.

She stared at what she was holding for what seemed like hours, shocked. For all it mattered, she should have known better because in her hands was a cheerleading outfit that was decked out in three shades of green.

"I picked that color 'cause I know you like pickles," he said, smiling brilliantly.

She looked up at the blond with an expression of uncertainty on her face. "I don't know what to say," she commented a little slower than normal, hoping that she didn't sound bitter or anything. The truth was, she didn't like his present at all, but she did appreciate the thought though.

"And I also got you this..."

Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe that the boy got her two presents whereas she was lousy enough to not have anything for him. Usually, it was the other way around.

"I know you're gonna like it," he said, grinning like a little kid licking a gigantic lollipop, as he handed the girl the second present.

Unlike the first, this one wasn't wrapped. Since it was small, it didn't need to. In fact, the thing itself was just a coupon book. Although, it wasn't exactly just a coupon book but more like a sorry book. Each page had a different apology quoted from the boy himself.

"I made it myself, you know," he added, watching as the girl flipped through the slips. "I know we get into arguments almost every single day on the stupidest things. But still, I feel guilty about each and every one of them. And so, I made this just in case one of our fights turns out to be something bigger than what we can handle. It's supposed to help you see that I have and will never intend to hurt you if our friendship happens to come on the edge of ending."

She looked at him, her eyes filled with hot tears.

"I don't know how many times I've told you this, but each and every time I mean it... You're awesome, Ally... And if I happen to make the biggest mistake in the future that will make you leave me, then I'll know it's my loss. And I'll also know that you deserve someone better than me, and I'll respect that," he went on, gazing into her deep brown eyes.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, smiling to herself, before looking back up at his face. "Thank you for being so thoughtful, Austin. This will forever be my favorite gift," she replied, blinking back the tears so they wouldn't fall.

The boy laughed as he pulled the girl into an embracing hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her small figure and giving her a squeeze. It was true. She was one of the special people that he didn't want to lose ever.

Soon enough, she pulled away, remembering something that seemed to haunt her. "Wait, I didn't get you anything..."

His face lit up suddenly, obviously excited about something. "Oh, I also got that covered!"

"What?"

He flashed a toothy grin. "Look up."

Surprisingly enough, the white ceiling that covered the interior of the house was gone. It was replaced by furry green things with tiny red ribbons sticking out hanging above their heads.

Her eyes opened widely as the thought of what they were. "Are those..?"

"Mistletoes?" he finished for her, chuckling. "Yes, they are. There are supposed to be a billion of them in reference to that one song you wrote, but I could only fit about five hundred or so."

Her jaw dropped open. "Oh, my gosh. I did not know you were so thoughtful."

He only flashed a crooked smile. "Now, I would like my present please. And don't worry, one is enough..." He tapped his left cheek while looking away, smiling to himself.

She rolled her eyes before finally leaning in towards him. Before she could peck his cheek, however, the boy turned his head just in time for the girl to crash her lips on his. After realizing what he had done, she yanked away with her mouth wide open.

"Austin!" she shouted at him, unsure whether she should laugh with him or blush in embarrassment.

"Merry Christmas, Ally."

She crossed her arms firmly across her chest in disgrace, frowning. "It's New Year's Eve, Austin."

"Which gives me a good reason to snatch another kiss from you later..." he mumbled, looking away.

She blinked, wondering if she had heard him correctly. "What was that?"

The boy's only response was grinning innocently before pointing out the girl's customized sorry book that was still in her hands.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you'll all have a wonderful New Year's Eve with your friends and family! 2012, here we come! :)<strong>


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